The Parshah on Fire

When Moshe approached the Jews in Egypt with the news that Hashem would be taking them out and setting them free his words fell on deaf ears. Why was that? Shouldn't the Jews, who were tortured and abused, have been thrilled to hear Moshe's glimmer of hope? The answer might surprise you.

The names of the books of the Torah all encapsulate all that's contained within them. The odd one out is Sefer Shemos. Names? How does that encapsulate all that transpired within it? The answer might surprise you.

Every Friday night for thousands of years we have been blessing our sons to be like Ephraim and Menashe. Why do we choose them as the two figures we hope our children emulate? Why don't we tell our children to become like Yehuda and Levi or Yissachar and Zevulun or Reuvain and Shimon? What's so special about Ephraim and Menashe? The answer might surprise you.

Ever wonder why Yosef didn't relieve his father of the pain he was in by telling him he was alive? Why did he wait so long? The answer might surprise you.

Mark Twain famously wrote in 1897 "All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass, but he remains. What is the secret to his immortality?" What is the answer to his question? I believe the answer is embedded in Chanukah.

After Yakov's famous dream, he erects a monument memorializing his spiritual experience and he takes out a bottle of olive oil and pours it on top of the monument. Ever wonder why he did that? Why is the Torah filled with stories of us anointing monuments and kings by pouring some extra virgin olive oil on their heads? What are we trying to accomplish? The answer might surprise you.

This will absolutely change the way you look at Shabbos. From suicide stats to Beethoven to pirates to Alaska and Bangkok and Japan we cover it all in this Podcast

Isn't it bizarre that a lot of the Jewish people's leaders grew up in homes that had horrible influences all around them? Rivka grew up as the sister of one of history's worst con artists Lavan. Yitchok's brother was the adulterous and idolatrous Yishmael. Yakov's brother was the serial murderer Eisav. Yosef spent most of his life alone in Egypt and eventually married an Egyptian woman. Moshe grew...

Haazinu is the song we were taught moments before our initial entrance into the Holy Land. The Torah tells us that this little song should be sung at any time that life gets difficult. It's the song that should accompany us wherever our travels take us. Why? What is it about this song that makes it so important? Isnt a song just ........ a song? The answer might surprise you.

One would think that the very first topic Moshe discusses in his historic farewell speech would be a foundational one. One that applies to the entire Jewish people. One that galvanizes every individual to remain spiritually robust while in their new land. Yet Moshe talks about Judges and Leaders being fair and patient. Why did he start with that? Why start with something that applies to less than...

From the Great Flood to the firey destruction of the city of Sodom to the killing of Shechem to the eradication of Amalek, Canaan and Midyan, the Torah seems to take a very militant approach to dealing with sinners. Arent we the people of the book not the people of the sword? How do we explain the Torahs surprising attachment to violence and the promotion of it? The answer might surprise you.

The Gemara tells us that Balak merited having a granddaughter named Rus due to the small prayer he prayed to Hashem to help destroy the Jewish people. The obvious question is how in the world does that make any sense?

What meaning can we take out if the Red heifer, the most mystical thing in Judaism?

Why was Korach’s punishment far more severe than any of the other complainers in the desert?

What exactly was so bad about what the spies did ? You might be surprised.

Arguably the hardest of all the halachos is the requirement to thank Hashem equally for the bad as one does for the good. The question is how is that even possible? This Parshah has the answer. And it might just surprise you.

Why do some things in Judaism go after men and some after women? The answer might surprise you .

Judaism places great emphasis on unity. So why do we have twelve separate tribes all with different flags and banners and logos? Isn’t that divisive and tribal? Doesn’t that fly in the face of unity ? The answer might surprise you.

How are we able to survive when virtually every other religion over the course of time eventually pestered out? The answer might surprise you .

Why does proximity play a role in the order of who we love?

What is so bad with Ribbis-interest that the Torah forbids it so vehemently?

The Torah prides itself in its care and concern for the downtrodden and often overlooked members of society. So it’s fairly odd that the Torah categorically denies any handicapped people from working in the Bais Hamikdash. Why is this? The answer might surprise you.

When describing the Talmidim of Reb Akiva who died the Gemara says they were a set of 12,000. Why doesn’t it just say they were 24,000?

Every Friday night we sing the song Aishes Chayil, an ode to the women in our homes. Why Precisely then do we sing it? Why not after Havdalah or on Rosh Chodesh or on their birthday? What is it about Shabbos that propells us to sing Aishes Chayil? The answer might inspire you.

VLK is arguably the most emotionally nuanced Mitzva in the Torah.